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I find this thread fascinating because even people's "long-term durable" idea of a toaster is way below my experiences and expectations. I would expect even che

I find this thread fascinating because even people's "long-term durable" idea of a toaster is way below my experiences and expectations. I would expect even cheap ones to last atleast 20 years. And whats with people replacing their toast cords? What are you doing with the cord that it doesn't last decades? I wonder if this is a case where spending more money results in a worse product because the cheapest versions are essentially a solved design without any gimmicks or unproven design changes made to try justify a higher price/markup.

hnhg 2y ago
You bring up a good point in that at one point it is also about ensuring the quality of materials and construction processes so that everything lasts by default. On top of that, repairability is another factor. I have a fancy kettle that I am sure will not last five years, and I regret buying it.
awhitby 2y ago
One obvious thing is that some people are probably toasting a slice a week and others half a dozen a day. The parts don’t time out, they wear out, so that really matters. Another is that being cheap, there’s probably quite variable quality. So it’s not that surprising that experiences vary.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  "Wear" is exactly right; most toasters have a pretty crude design involving hot glowing wires, springs and an electromagnet that jolts the whole thing pretty violently when it's finished. Just the glowing wires will fail after a while, even if you make them extra thick. (That said we have a basic model secondhand toaster that gets used multiple times a week for the past six years and it's still fine... although some of the glow wires don't work).
- account42 2y ago
  How does the coord wear out though? Surely it's not getting hot enough for that so the only wear would be if you constantly bend or pull it.
MisterTea 2y ago
Toasters are one of those appliances you unplug when not in use (classically, anything that gets hot must be unplugged when not in use or supervised). They are a large source of fires, my mother knows someone who just lost their house to a toaster fire. So all that cord manipulation can take a toll on it.
- account42 2y ago
  Just put the toaster behind an additional switch? Extension coords with switches (either one for the whole strip or one switch per plug) are readily available. And the biggest heat generators (stovetop and and oven) can typically not be unplugged so clearly heating elements can be made relatively safe.
  - MisterTea 2y ago
    Sure but that's not really what people want in their homes. Switched appliance circuits were never a thing in the USA likely because it's not hard to pull a plug that's literally staring you in the face. So pragmatically it just evolved this way and honestly it's not a big deal.

hnhg 2y ago

You bring up a good point in that at one point it is also about ensuring the quality of materials and construction processes so that everything lasts by default. On top of that, repairability is another factor. I have a fancy kettle that I am sure will not last five years, and I regret buying it.

awhitby 2y ago

One obvious thing is that some people are probably toasting a slice a week and others half a dozen a day. The parts don’t time out, they wear out, so that really matters. Another is that being cheap, there’s probably quite variable quality. So it’s not that surprising that experiences vary.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago
"Wear" is exactly right; most toasters have a pretty crude design involving hot glowing wires, springs and an electromagnet that jolts the whole thing pretty violently when it's finished. Just the glowing wires will fail after a while, even if you make them extra thick. (That said we have a basic model secondhand toaster that gets used multiple times a week for the past six years and it's still fine... although some of the glow wires don't work).
account42 2y ago
How does the coord wear out though? Surely it's not getting hot enough for that so the only wear would be if you constantly bend or pull it.

MisterTea 2y ago

Toasters are one of those appliances you unplug when not in use (classically, anything that gets hot must be unplugged when not in use or supervised). They are a large source of fires, my mother knows someone who just lost their house to a toaster fire. So all that cord manipulation can take a toll on it.

account42 2y ago
Just put the toaster behind an additional switch? Extension coords with switches (either one for the whole strip or one switch per plug) are readily available. And the biggest heat generators (stovetop and and oven) can typically not be unplugged so clearly heating elements can be made relatively safe.
- MisterTea 2y ago
  Sure but that's not really what people want in their homes. Switched appliance circuits were never a thing in the USA likely because it's not hard to pull a plug that's literally staring you in the face. So pragmatically it just evolved this way and honestly it's not a big deal.